Title: Selective Se-for-S substitution in Cs-bearing uranyl compounds

Abstract

Phase formation in the mixed sulfate-selenate aqueous system of uranyl nitrate and cesium nitrate has been investigated. Two types of crystalline compounds have been obtained and characterized using a number of experimental (single crystal XRD, FTIR, SEM) and theoretical (information-based complexity calculations, topological analysis) techniques. No miscibility gaps have been observed for Cs{sub 2}[(UO{sub 2}){sub 2}(TO{sub 4}){sub 3}] (T= S, Se), which crystallizes in tetragonal system, P-42{sub 1}m, a =9.616(1)–9.856(2), c =8.105(1)–8.159(1) Å, V =749.6(2)–792.5(3) Å{sup 3}. Nine phases with variable amount of S and Se have been structurally characterized. The structures of the Cs{sub 2}[(UO{sub 2}){sub 2}(TO{sub 4}){sub 3}] (T= S, Se) compounds are based upon the [(UO{sub 2}){sub 2}(TO{sub 4}){sub 3}]{sup 2-} layers of corner-sharing uranyl pentagonal bipyramids and TO{sub 4} tetrahedra. The layers contain two types of tetrahedral sites: T1 (3-connected, i.e. having three O atoms shared by adjacent uranyl polyhedra) and T2 (4-connected). The Se-for-S substitution in tetrahedral sites is highly selective with smaller S{sup 6+} cation showing a strong preference for the more tightly bonded T2 site. Crystallization in the pure Se system starts with the formation of Cs{sub 2}[(UO{sub 2})(SeO{sub 4}){sub 2}(H{sub 2}O)](H{sub 2}O) crystals, its subsequent dissolution and formation of Cs{sub 2}[(UO{sub 2}){submore » 2}(SeO{sub 4}){sub 3}]. The information-based structural complexity calculations for these two phases support the rule that more topologically complex structures form at the latest stages of crystallization. - Graphical abstract: Nine phases representing the Cs{sub 2}[(UO{sub 2}){sub 2}(TO{sub 4}){sub 3}] (T= S, Se) solid solution series with variable amount of S and Se have been prepared by isothermal evaporation from aqueous solutions and characterized using a number of experimental and theoretical techniques. No immiscibility is observed between the pure sulfate and selenate compounds. The Se-for-S substitution in tetrahedral sites is highly selective with smaller S{sup 6+} cation showing a strong preference for the more tightly bonded 4-connected site. - Highlights: • Single crystals of novel mixed sulfate-selenate uranyl oxysalts were prepared by evaporation method. • Topological analysis and information-based complexity calculations were used for structure description. • The selective Se-for-S substitution was observed. • Evolution of phase formation in the aqueous Cs{sup +}–UO{sub 2}{sup 2+}–SO{sub 4}{sup 2–}–SeO{sub 4}{sup 2–} system was analyzed.« less

A selection of mixed conducting silver chalcogenide halides of the general formula Ag{sub 5}Q{sub 2}X with Q=sulfur, selenium and tellurium and X=chlorine and bromine has been investigated due to their thermoelectric properties. Recently, the ternary counterpart Ag{sub 5}Te{sub 2}Cl showed a defined d{sup 10}-d{sup 10} interaction in the disordered cation substructure at elevated temperatures where Ag{sub 5}Te{sub 2}Cl is present in its high temperature {alpha}-phase. A significant drop of the thermal diffusivity has been observed during the {beta}-{alpha} phase transition reducing the values from 0.12 close to 0.08 mm{sup 2} s{sup -1}. At the same transition the thermopower reacts onmore » the increasing silver mobility and jumps towards less negative values. Thermal conductivities, thermopower and thermal diffusivity of selected compounds with various grades of anion substitution in Ag{sub 5}Q{sub 2}X were determined around the silver-order/disorder {beta}-{alpha} phase transition. A formation of attractive interactions could be observed for selenium substituted phases while no effect was detected for bromide and sulfide samples. Depending on the grade and type of substitution the thermopower changes significantly at and after the {beta}-{alpha} phase transition. Thermal conductivities are low reaching values around 0.2-0.3 W m{sup -1} K{sup -1} at 299 K. Partial anion exchange can substantially tune the thermoelectric properties in Ag{sub 5}Q{sub 2}X phases. -- Graphical abstract: A structure section of the {alpha}-Ag{sub 5}Te{sub 2}Cl structure type and the thermopower evolution of Ag{sub 5}Te{sub 2}Cl{sub 0.4}Br{sub 0.6} undergoing a silver ion order/disorder phase transition. Display Omitted Research highlights: > We report on thermoelectric properties of silver(I) chalcogenide halides. > We examine thermopower, thermal diffusivity and thermal behavior. > Silver mobility, phase transitions and order/disorder phenomena are discussed. > Partial anion exchange can tune thermoelectric properties significantly.« less

We studied the sulfur chemistry of massive star-forming regions through single-dish submillimeter spectroscopy. OCS, O{sup 13}CS, {sup 13}CS, H{sub 2}S, and SO transitions were observed toward a sample of massive star-forming regions with embedded UCH ii or CH ii regions. These sources could be divided into H ii-hot core and H ii-only sources based on their CH{sub 3}CN emission. Our results show that the OCS line of thirteen sources is optically thick, with optical depth ranging from 5 to 16. Column densities of these molecules were computed under LTE conditions. CS column densities were also derived using its optically thinmore » isotopologue {sup 13}CS. H{sub 2}S is likely to be the most abundant gas-phase sulfuretted molecule in hot massive cores. Both the column density and abundance of sulfur-bearing molecules decrease significantly from H ii-hot core to H ii-only sources. Ages derived from hot core models appear to be consistent with star formation theories, suggesting that abundance ratios of [CS]/[SO], [SO]/[OCS], and [OCS]/[CS] could be used as chemical clocks in massive star-forming regions.« less

In this paper, we study the structural properties of selected representatives of the so-called molybdenum cluster compounds. Belonging to this family are the GaM{sub 4}X{sub 8} compounds with M=Mo as a group VIB element and V, Nb, or Ta as a group VB element. X denotes either S or Se. These compounds are known to exhibit semiconducting behavior in the electrical resistivity, caused by hopping of electrons between well-separated metal clusters. The large separation of the tetrahedral metal (M{sub 4}) clusters is believed to be the origin of strong correlations. We show that recent calculations neglected an important type ofmore » structural distortion, namely, those happening only within the M{sub 4} unit at a fixed angle {alpha}=60 deg. of the trigonal (fcc-like) cell. These internal distortions gain a significant amount of energy compared to the cubic cell and they are--to our knowledge--almost undetectable with powder x-ray diffraction experiments. However, they strongly influence the band-structure by opening up a gap at the Fermi-energy. This, however, puts into question whether all compounds of this family are really Mott insulators as stated elsewhere. In particular, ferromagnetic GaMo{sub 4}S{sub 8} and GaV{sub 4}S{sub 8} are well described within density functional theory. Only the Nb- and Ta-based representatives require a large effort due to the lack of magnetic long-range order caused by frustrated antiferromagnetic M-M interactions.« less